


Repentance

by scholarlydragon



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Forgiveness, Regret, poor decisions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-14 14:42:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17510546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scholarlydragon/pseuds/scholarlydragon
Summary: Can hurt dealt with the best of intentions be forgiven?





	1. Regret

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to orenashii for story title.
> 
> Thank you to Lightspeed Goddess for getting me started.

> Some say the world will end in fire,
> 
> Some say in ice.
> 
> From what I’ve tasted of desire
> 
> I hold with those who favor fire.
> 
> But if it had to perish twice,
> 
> I think I know enough of hate
> 
> To know that for destruction ice
> 
> Is also great
> 
> And would suffice.
> 
> \- Robert Frost "Fire and Ice"

  
\---------------  


_What was I thinking_?

The question had been a constant refrain, pattering through his head all day, growing louder with each passing miserable moment. He had no more answer to it now than he’d had at the beginning. Hades poured two fingers of whiskey into the tumbler at his wet bar, adding a third after a moment’s thought. He’d need it tonight.

From the moment Persephone had walked into his office, her steps buoyed by tenuous, fragile confidence, he’d been asking himself the same questions, blasting himself with the same recriminations.  She had been all bubbly enthusiasms as she admitted to her crush on him, explaining her thoughts as methodically as a damned work proposal, listing points and counter-points. Thorough and meticulous. It had clearly taken every bit of guts she possessed to come to him like that, so hopeful for his answer.

_You ended that well enough, didn’t you, Hades?_

He’d laid it out as gently as he could, but there was only so much couching in pleasant terms that he could do. All the reasons they couldn’t be together carefully enumerated, his rationale for breaking her heart presented, tied neatly with a bow… and he’d clearly broken her heart. Her face had crumpled for a fraction of a second, but that had been long enough to see everything. She had quickly pulled up a stoic mask, only the look in her eyes still betraying a storm of emotion. He’d laid it all out and asked if she understood, if she’d had any questions, all the while screaming internally

 _What the fuck are you_ doing?!

She hadn’t had questions. Had said he’d been crystal-clear. Then, she’d turned on her heel and walked out. It had taken every ounce of his self-control, every shred of kingly disposition he possessed, to not run after her. He’d made himself stand and watch her go, frantically reminding himself of all the reasons he’d clung to of why it was inappropriate, why it wouldn’t work. Why he was dangerous for her.

 _It had to be done_ … _didn’t it_?

He grimaced and sipped the whiskey, welcoming the burn as a distraction from the uncertainty roiling his mind. It bothered him that he was still unsure he had done the best thing. Hadn’t he spent all the time since he’d _met_ her repeating the same reasons to himself, sure of their accuracy? Yet still the look on her face haunted him.

It had been natural to flee to the apartment, despite his rocky relationship with Minthe of late. But he’d found no solace there either. The memory of restrained tears in luminous pink eyes wouldn’t leave and Minthe had quickly picked up on the fact that his mind was elsewhere. Questions had begun, ones to which he had no answer, and an argument had rapidly ensued. With the memory of Persephone’s retreating form stinging his torn heart like nettles, Hades had lost all patience for Minthe’s pettiness. Neither of them had been truly happy for some time, clinging to the tatters of what they’d once had out of… he didn’t even know. Minthe certainly had her own reasons. For his part, the prospect of loneliness finally didn’t seem that bad in contrast to staying in a bitter relationship.

Now, having ended one relationship and crushed the possibility of another, he was left alone with his whiskey. The two visages overlaid in his mind, pink and red melding into a whirl of his own regret. Two women, one who he’d once loved, one that he would if only he could.

 _You’re a damned fool_.

With a muffled groan, he flung the tumbler of whiskey to shatter against the wall and sank to the floor, his head in his hands. The silence was broken by the sound of a sob.


	2. Forgiveness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who asked.  
> Thank you to Jessy for finding the poem and helping me sort it out.  
> Thank you to Jessy, Alulah, and Lightspeed Goddess for editing reads.

> At dusk the window panes grew grey;
> 
> The wet world vanished in the gloom;
> 
> The dim and silver end of day
> 
> Scarce glimmered through the little room.
> 
>  
> 
> And all my sins were told; I said
> 
> Such things to her who knew not sin-
> 
> The sharp ache throbbing in my head,
> 
> The fever running high within.
> 
>  
> 
> I touched with pain her purity;
> 
> Sin’s darker sense I could not bring:
> 
> My soul was black as night to me;
> 
> To her I was a wounded thing.
> 
>  
> 
> I needed love no words could say;
> 
> She drew me softly nigh her chair,
> 
> My head upon her knees to lay,
> 
> With cool hands that caressed my hair.
> 
>  
> 
> She sat with hands as if to bless,
> 
> And looked with grave, ethereal eyes;
> 
> Ensouled by ancient Quietness,
> 
> A gentle priestess of the Wise.
> 
> \- George William Russell “Forgiveness”

  
_______________  
  


The sudden sound of a knock at the door startled her.

Persephone jumped, catching her now cold mug of tea before it could fall to the floor. Setting the mug onto the table and scrubbing half-heartedly with one hand at the tear tracks dried on her cheeks, she considered ignoring the knock. She was hardly in the mood for company at the moment. But when the knock sounded again, the echo had hardly died away before she was off the couch and moving to the front door.

_Too polite for your own good. Even after today_.

She resolutely pushed back the ache in her chest as it climbed into her throat. It wouldn’t do any good to dwell on it. Not now. After all, it had only been a crush. _But was it? Was it really_ ? Persephone swallowed hard, choking back tears. _No. It wasn’t, and it doesn’t make it easier to lie to myself. I loved him._

She paused at the door, steadying herself for a moment and summoning a polite mask, ready to deal with whoever it was and send them on their way. With a deep breath, she swung the door open and her heart leapt into her throat, all of her carefully constructed control near evaporating in an instant.

_Hades_.

He stood awkwardly, hands shoved into coat pockets, shoulders hunched. He seemed diminished in size, both from his indrawn posture and the poorly hidden look of misery marring his angular features. The automatic instinct to comfort was strong, but Persephone shoved down the shiver of anguish twining through her gut at the sight of his distress. She couldn’t forget so easily the detachment in his eyes as he’d rejected her confession. She took refuge in detachment of her own.

“What do you want?”

He flinched at her terse words, the small movement quickly hidden.

“K- Persephone, I- I was hoping we might talk. That I could explain.”

She stared at him. _Hadn’t he said enough already?_ “I think you explained plenty, Hades.”  She nearly slammed the door in his face. Her fingers twitched on the knob, beginning the motion. As he registered it, a look of absolute panic swamped the sadness on his face.

“Persephone, please!” he blurted out, taking a half-step forward, but halting himself as though he didn’t dare move too close. Startled, she stopped the motion of closing the door. He spoke quietly, urgently, as though everything depended on getting the words out, “I- I know it’s more than I deserve from you after today, but please hear me out. Then, if you wish it… you never need see me again.”

Torn, Persephone hovered at the door. The petty desire to return to him the hurt he had dealt whispered to simply close the door. But she couldn’t ignore the furtive desire to hold him until the lines of pain eased from his brow.

_I may be a glutton for punishment, but I can’t shut him out. Even now…_

With an uncharacteristic growl, of annoyance at herself and anger at him, she stepped aside, holding the door open wide. “Come in.”

He ducked his head in wordless acknowledgment of the gesture and slipped past her into the house. Persephone shut the door with a sigh and followed into the living room, wondering when she had become such a fool. She watched Hades stand awkwardly for a moment, as though unsure what to do with himself, before folding his tall frame down to sit on the low couch. Persephone leaned back against a table on the other side of the room, arms folded across her chest. She decided to simply hear what he had to say and then send him on his way. _After all, I’ve heard it already today, haven’t I?_

Hades sat stiffly, hands clasped between tense knees, discomfort radiating from him in waves. “Um-” he began, looking around the room, seemingly everywhere but at her, “Where’s Artemis?”

Persephone waved a hand dismissively. “Something she had to deal with in the mortal realm. She’s out for the night.” She gave an inelegant snort. “I am pretty sure you didn’t come here to talk about my roommate, Hades. Say whatever it is you have to say.” _So that you can leave again_ … was the unspoken continuation. His presence was like a needle under her skin. No- not his presence… the sheer desire to be _near_ him. _Damn it. This was a horrible idea…_ She could see him swallow hard.

“I- I hurt you today. I’m sorry.” Simple and straightforward enough. She appreciated the directness.

“Yes, you did. I never thought _you_ would. Out of everyone.”

He flinched, the motion abrupt as if her words struck him, and he looked down at his feet. “I know… I can explain my actions to you, Persephone,” he said quietly, haltingly, his eyes downcast, “but I cannot excuse them. I’ve come here with no expectations, only the hope that you might hear out my apology and what small explanation I can offer.” He raised his eyes to meet hers and Persephone inclined her head wordlessly, giving permission to continue.

_I hadn’t expected an apology_.

Hades went on quietly, holding her gaze, his own earnest, “I had long convinced myself that it was the right thing to do to avoid any possibility of a relationship between us, in order to try to protect you from scandal and the danger that I could pose to you. I _thought_ it was the right thing. Until it happened… I never thought that, by trying to help, I could hurt you so badly.”

“Why would you not just talk to me about it?” Persephone gestured expansively with one hand, exasperation in her tone. It was a little reassuring to know that he had been trying to do what he thought was right, however misguided the thought. Fresh pain prickled through her at his admission, though. “I don’t give a shit what other people think. The tabloids can scream into the void for all I care and you’re not as dangerous as you think you are, lord of the dead. Which I’d have told you if you’d only asked. I mean, _Fates_ , Hades! It’s like you didn’t even consider how I’d feel about it!”

He flinched again, almost ducking into himself, and dropped his gaze. When he spoke again, his voice was so quiet that she almost had to strain to hear him. “I am ashamed to say that you have the right of it, though perhaps not for the reason you think.” He paused, seeming to steel his nerves, and she could see his eyes squeeze shut. “I have nothing to offer you.”

The thought was so absurd, she almost laughed. “Seriously? Have you _seen_ you?!”

He raised his gaze to hers once more. Any thought of laughing at him died at the lost look in his eyes.

“What does the god of the dead have to offer the goddess of Spring?” Hades dropped his gaze once more, as though unable to bear her scrutiny. “The Underworld has nothing to offer to the embodiment of life itself.” His voice sounded broken. Defeated as a man who believes he has lost everything.

The space between them seemed to stretch as wide as a gulf, devouring the air in the room, a suddenly unbearable distance. Tears prickled her eyes as pain for him tore at her heart and Persephone went to him, closing the chasm, but forcing herself to stop just out of arm’s reach. As much as she ached to hold him, his actions still stood between them. She couldn’t simply give into the urge to comfort his obvious pain. However, though the pain he had caused her hung unresolved, she couldn’t deny that she still felt as strongly as she ever had.

_Am I the biggest fool in creation_?

“Hades,” she said quietly, dropping her folded arms and shoving clenched hands into her pockets to fight the impulse to reach out to him, “The Underworld has _you_ … and there’s more to you than ‘the god of the dead’. First and foremost, before anything else, you were my friend.”

“‘Friend’....” he buried his head in his hands with a shuddering moan, “And have I ruined that as well?” Before she could answer, he forged ahead, as though he could not stop, now that the words were loosed. “Persephone, I’ve made a dreadful mistake and I am shattered that I have hurt you so.” His hands clenched into his hair. “I swear to you on everything dear to me that I did what I thought was best. I deceived myself into thinking the only heart I’d break would be my own. Until it was too late to take it back.”

Persephone reached out, unable to stop herself any longer, gently disentangling his hands from his hair and lifting his face with her hands along his jaw. Her heart lurched as she saw the silver tears tracing down his cheeks. He reached up, trembling fingers laid over her smaller hands.

“From the very moment I saw you, Persephone,” he whispered brokenly, “my heart has been yours.”

A fresh tear traced from the corner of his eye and Persephone slid her thumb along his cheek gently, brushing it away, her own hands trembling. She’d spent the afternoon thinking all chances of more with him ruined, that he had to care nothing for her to dismiss her confession. He’d laid himself bare tonight, vulnerability offered in confessions and apologies. He’d clearly hurt himself as much as he’d hurt her. She’d never expected the day to end this way, the tears of a humbled king on her hands and words of love on his lips.

The pain of loss which had crushed her chest for hours suddenly drained like a lanced wound, leaving her dizzy and breathless and with an ache of relief no less crushing. She hadn’t lost him. She _hadn’t_ lost him! Her breath catching and tears welling, Persephone fell forward against him, arms looping around his neck in an embrace that drew his head against her chest.

“Oh, Hades…”

She clung to him, her confusion and pain escaping in hoarse sobs. He sat stock-still at first, as though he did not trust himself to move. Then slowly, so slowly, as though still expecting rebuke, his arms slid around her waist, drawing her close. As she moved into the embrace, Persephone realized he was shaking. As she wept, his hands smoothed up and down her spine, and she combed her fingers into his hair, both seeking to comfort the other.

She pressed her face into his hair, kissing among the white strands, one arm around his head and the other around his shoulders, tears of relief falling like rain. He’d said his heart was hers, that it had always been so. There was no mistaking that for anything other than a confession of love. And did she still love him, even after everything?

_How can I not when regret over a mistake is doing this to him? How can I not when relief over not losing him is this strong? I’m not going to throw it away for pettiness..._

“I love you, you silly man,” she whispered tearfully into his hair, “None of this was necessary if you’d only _talked_ to me…”

His shoulders shuddered, his own voice emerging tear-choked, “Oh, forgive me!” He shook against her. “Persephone, forgive me. Forgive me…”

“Hades,” she said, lifting his head and making sure she had every bit of his attention. “I forgive you.”

She sank down onto the couch next to him as he collapsed into her embrace once more, holding him tightly as he wept, pent-up sorrow bleeding out in wrenching, yet relieved sobs. Her own tears fell onto his coat collar and they clung to each other as drowning swimmers suddenly granted rest.

Gradually, he quieted and lifted his head from her shoulder, wiping self-consciously at his wet face. “Persephone, I…” he began quietly, but she interrupted.

“Hades, that is not my name. Not to you. Call me Kore.” A look of wonder spread over his face, as though given a gift he had not expected.

“Kore…” he said softly as he lifted one hand to cup her cheek, whispering her name as though it were a benediction. “Kore… I am not an easy man and I have hurt you terribly, but I would like to try again. I love you, my goddess of Spring.  Will you give this old fool another chance?”

Could it really be this easy? After all the heartache and anger of the day, was it possible for it all to fall away to the simplicity of a question and an opportunity. Looking at the earnest hope in his eyes, she knew. Whether due to their own foibles or the capriciousness of the Fates, it _was_ that easy.

“I will.” She whispered as she covered his hand on her cheek with her own. “I love you, Hades.”

The radiance of his smile would have put Helios to shame.

“Hades, you must promise me something,” she murmured as she combed her fingers into his hair, relishing the simple opportunity to touch him. “The next time something is bothering you, talk to me, please? It doesn’t even have to be as big as this. I want to know when you’re upset over something.” He chuckled and reached up to catch her hand, bringing it down to kiss her palm.

“I promise, Kore,” he whispered, trapping the sound against her hand.

“Hmmm,” she mused, “‘Kore’.... Still doesn’t sound quite right…” She grinned mischievously. “Think there’s something else you could try?”

His grin matched hers for mischief. “Perhaps… What do you think of ‘sweetness’?”

Persephone pursed her lips, pretending to think it over. “It does sound more promising. Try it out?”

Hades combed his fingers into her hair, leaning his forehead against her. He whispered, “May I kiss you, sweetness?”

“That’s perfect,” Persephone grinned, and pulled him into a searing kiss.


End file.
